


The Rise of A King

by ari_j



Category: Glee
Genre: F/F, F/M, Fabang is the main pairing, other pairings will pop up, there will be some Brittana!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-26
Updated: 2013-11-07
Packaged: 2017-12-27 15:46:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/980739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ari_j/pseuds/ari_j
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Why should she have to have her boyfriend chosen for her by the losers and idiots at that pathetic excuse for a school? She made herself a Queen Bee, and Quinn Fabray decided that this time, she was going to crown her own King. Everyone else would just have to fall in line. AU Season 2, Mike/Quinn Fabang. Brittana makes appearances. Unholy Trinity Friendship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: The Decision

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Glee characters or anything you recognize. Thanks!

 

 

**Prologue: The Decision**

Quinn Fabray stepped off the elliptical in her basement, taking a long drink of water before heading over to the modest rack of weights in the corner.

All summer, she'd been working out, signing up for dance and gymnastics classes, even helping to coach a pee-wee cheerleading camp, all in the hope of getting her early-sophomore year physique back.

Her pre- _baby_ body, she shuddered, pushing the thought out of her mind. Most of the time she refused to even think of the 'b' word, typically only refering to her unfortunate pregnancy, not what resulted from it. She shook her head, thinking about a baby wasn't going to help her lose the weight. So she didn't.

Her mother was disappointed, at first, when Quinn went through with the adoption. Puck was _furious_ , especially after he'd learned that Judy Fabray had offered to  help take care of the baby.

Well, as someone who had been raised by Judy Fabray, Quinn felt qualified to say _'no, thank you'_ to that offer. She suspected that after the initial shock wore off, her mother realized how little she would've actually enjoyed raising Quinn's mistake, because she continued to hint (and sometimes outright say), that her daughter had made the right call.

"It would've been a hard life, for the both of you." She says, brushing Quinn's hair affectionately out of her face, "Now, Beth can have a real chance, and so can you. You can move on from this, Quinnie."

Quinn would nod and smile, but inwardly seethe everytime her mother refered to the baby by name. She hadn't wanted to name it, hadn't wanted to give it anything that she could cling to or remember, anything that would make her doubt or hesitate that she'd made the right choice.

She found that giving up a _Beth_ was a lot harder than giving up a _baby_ , but she did it anyway. She did it, and for what? For Puckerman to throw a hissy fit and call her an ice queen? For the people at church to act on the surface as though nothing had happened, but whisper as soon as she walked by. They had no _idea_ what she'd been through, how much she wondered--

No. Quinn Fabray was done focusing on what might have been, and was only going to focus on what could and what would be. And Quinn Fabray what going to do what she'd promised from the start---she was going to get it all back. And _more_ , like Mr. Schue said.

So she worked hard all summer, knowing that she'd have to be leagues ahead of everyone else if she was going to convince Coach Sylvester to forgive her, let her back on the team, _and_ give her back the Head Cheerio position.

She also made sure to make an appropriate number of appearances at summer get-togetheres and parties. Though she'd fallen on the social ladder, she was still Quinn Fabray, her name still held a certain amount of admiration and respect; enough to get her invited to pool parties and bonfires held at the football player's homes and lake cabins.

It was at one of those parties she learned that Puckerman had been taking the loss of their... _daughter_... much harder than she was, and in a much more public manner. Mainly by getting outrageously drunk and making a fool out of himself. She couldn't help but feel relieved that he'd called things off with her---not that she'd ever admit to getting dumped (again, technically).

No, Quinn Fabray wasn't the most popular girl in school anymore. But she knew she would be.

As her mother called downstairs to her, reminding her that they had Bible study in an hour, Quinn thought that this past year may have been a test from God himself. She made her way up to her room, thinking more. She had strayed from His teachings, and maybe the pregnancy was punishment for that. And maybe her _redemption_ , her climb back to the top of WMHS, was a test to see how badly she wanted it.

And she wanted it _all_ , badly. The admiration, the envy, the fear, the Prom crown, the boy---

The boy. Quinn furrowed her brow as she turned the shower on, stepping in as the warm water hit her back. What boy? Quinn sighed, if she was going to be the most popular girl in school, she'd have to be seen with someone on her arm---her counterpart, as it were.

Last year that had been Finn. She'd thought for a while that it might've been Puck, and that was part of the reason she started flirting with him in the first place. Look where that got her.

She scowled. It wasn't _fair_. She'd worked so hard--- _twice_ , now---to be where she was, and she was supposed to accept that all of it hinged on getting the right _boyfriend_?

She rinsed her hair and mused. She had worked hard to transform herself from Lucy to Quinn. She didn't like to think of what she had been like before high school, but she had to admit that she'd come a long way. Why should that all go down the drain because she doesn't pick the right guy?

She turned the shower off as she thought more of what she'd made of herself. Made...

Inspiration struck. Why should she have to _pick_ the perfect guy for her, her most-popular counterpart, her future Prom King, when she could _make_ him instead?

She was _Quinn Fabray_ , she parted the hallways like the Red Sea and ordered slushie attacks on anyone she wanted. She was pretty, and popular, loved and feared, and way more influential than either Finn or Puck had been.

_She_ decided who was popular and who wasn't, so why should she have to have her boyfriend chosen for her by the losers and idiots at that pathetic excuse for a school? She made herself a Queen Bee, and Quinn Fabray decided that this time, she was going to crown her own King. Everyone else would just have to fall in line. 

Quinn smiled, looking forward to the beginning of the school year even more than she had been previously. For now, though, it was time for church.

 


	2. Getting Back On Top

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quinn returns to WMHS for her junior year with one objective in mind: Getting back on the Cheerios.

**Chapter One: Getting Back on Top**

William McKinley High School, Quinn decided, was as stagnant as ever. Though this was usually a bad thing, especially when it comes to the racism and homophobia that ran rampant through the school, the student's hate of change or deviation from the norm actually worked in her favor.

Without her baby bump, it's almost as though nothing had happened. People glance at her longingly (sometimes enviously), the Cheerios and jocks treat her as one of their own (even without the uniform), and by the end of the first day she's even instructed Dave Karofsky to throw a slushy a Berry. It's nothing personal, she tells herself, she just wanted to see if he'd listen (though a small, bitter part of her can't help but begrudge the girl who had so thoroughly stolen Finn from her).

Still, she knows this ignorance won't last forever. Sooner or later, some JV jock or Cheerio reject will remember that Quinn Fabray, by all rights, shouldn't be listened to anymore. So she has to solidify her power as soon as possible.

That starts with getting back on the Cheerios.

She walks confidently into the gym, knowing that Coach Sylvester will tear her apart at the slightest sign of weakness.

Coach seems unmoved by Quinn's reasoning, her offers of charitable donations, how good it would look for the Cheerios, but Quinn  _knows_  Sue Sylvester. She doesn't give a fig about anyone but herself, but she loves  _looking_ like she does. Quinn had also heard (more like, Berry complained and she was forced to listen) that the Cheerio's budget was cut, and the routines Coach liked didn't come cheap. So when she's dismissed after a few minutes with an insult and a grimace, Quinn smiles, because if Coach were dead set against her being a Cheerio, she'd wouldn't have even spoken to her.

And Quinn has an ace up her sleeve.

* * *

"Coach." Quinn lingered in the doorway to her office before walking in and sitting in a chair. Presumptuous and bold, definitely, but she needs to assert herself.

"Stretch Marks, I thought I told you the Cheerio's uniform didn't come in maternity size." Coach Sylvester doesn't even look up from her notes.

"Then it's a good thing I'm not pregnant anymore." Quinn says firmly. "But I didn't know the uniform made allowances for unnatural alterations."

This causes the Coach to look up, "What do you mean, Teen Mom?"

Quinn tries not to grimace at the name. She  _isn't_  a mom, and she doesn't really know how that makes her feel yet. "One of your Cheerio's may have gotten a little... summer enhancement. And I don't mean a tan." She paused, "What would Nationals think if they knew that Coach Sylvester's very own  _Head Cheerio_  got a boob job? They might start to wonder if it was because of the extreme duress put under the girls by their Coach to have the  _perfect bodies_."

Sue saw the writing on the wall, and Quinn could tell that however angry she was, she was also impressed. "So Santana Lopez put my Cheerio routines in jeopardy for her own shallow gain? Did she think I wouldn't notice the weight she gained from the sandbags attached to her chest?"

Quinn shrugged, "So disrespectful."

Coach eyed her, "Don't act like you care about the disrespect, Q." She shot her an appraising look, "You know, I've always seen a bit of myself in you, and I think your experience last year has taught you a lesson, hasn't it?"

Quinn fought to keep the grin off of her face. This was going better than she expected, "Of course, Coach Sylvester. I'll never do anything to disgrace myself, or my team, that way again."

Coach Sylvester waved a hand dismissively, "To be frank, Q, I don't care what you get up to with those hormonally charged teen boys on your days off. What I care about is how it affects my team." She dug around in her drawer for a moment, and to Quinn's horror, pulled out a condom.

"You'll be my Head Cheerio again, with one condition. You keep one of these on your person, at all times. The Virgin Mary act can be looked past once, but not twice."

Quinn tried not to grimace as she snatched the foil wrapper out of Coach Sylvester's hand. "Absolutely." She slipped it into the small pocket of her purse that she never used, praying no one would  _ever_  find it.

And in a few moments, a familiar purple box was in front of her, and Coach Sylvester was handing her a schedule, and Quinn Fabray was on top of the world.

* * *

Quinn prided herself on being prepared, and usually on those occasions when she wasn't, it proved disastrous (Noah Puckerman, anyone?).

But she had to admit, she underestimated two reactions that she really should've seen coming. She hadn't expected Coach Sylvester to be angry enough with Santana to demote her to the  _bottom of the pyramid_. That's just humiliating. Everyone knew the bottom of the pyramid, at least in Coach's mind, was for the girls who weren't pretty or skinny enough to be a prominent display in the routines. Santana was wasting away at the bottom with talent-less freshmen and butch bases, recruited for their muscle but not their looks or talent. It was... tragic, and unexpected.

Quinn also hadn't expected Santana's reaction to be so hostile. Of course, she knew Santana would put the pieces together and figure out it was her, her friend wasn't  _stupid_ , but she hadn't been planning for a public smackdown. She did the best she could, though, and figured that it was as good a time as any to reassert her power and remind Santana to tighten up her ponytail. Her best friend may have been furious, but Quinn knew she would listen to her. She was Head Cheerio, she had to be obeyed. And everyone else would see and understand that Quinn was back on the team, back in  _charge_  of the team, and not even  _the_ badass Santana Lopez would defy her.

Quinn doodled during her AP Calculus class as her thoughts turned to her Latina friend. It  _was_  unfortunate that in order for her to rise to the top, Santana had to fall. They were best friends, whether people believed it or not. But they were best friends who knew what a shark pit high school was, and they had a mutual understanding that though they had each other's back against anyone else, they were always fair game to one another. She hadn't  _wanted_  to use Santana's boob job against her, but Coach had forced her hand. Santana was an unfortunate civilian casualty in Quinn's rise back to good social graces, and she knew her friend would get over it soon. In any case, she'd ask Coach to put her back near the top of the pyramid (not on top, of course, that was  _Quinn's_ spot). She'd ask her in a week or so. Just to remind her best friend who she was dealing with.

But, she didn't want to lose Santana forever, which is why, at the end of the day, when she was talking to a group of Cheerios and Azimo approached her, she made that clear.

"Fabray, heard you got your spot as Captain back. Congratulations!" Azimo had smiled at her, and she inclined her head towards him in acknowledgement.

"Thanks."

"I also heard Lopez was getting a bit mouthy about it. Does she need a cold, frozen reminder on how things work around here?" Azimo grinned, and her fellow Cheerios looked at her in trepidation. They knew she had the power to do so, but a fellow Cheerio had never been slushied.

"Let's get one thing straight, Azimo. Santana and I may have had a small dispute over leadership of the Cheerios, but she's  _still_ one of us, and in case you forgot, the Cheerios  _aren't to be touched_." She all but snapped at him, then remembered her manners, "Thanks for the offer, but I think a slushy would be better served going towards JBI. he's been sticking a camera in our faces all week."

Azimo nodded, and her Cheerios breathed a collective sigh of relief.

* * *

"Rachel sent Sunshine to a crackhouse!" Tina sounded scandalized. Kurt, Mercedes, and Brittany gasped, but Santana and Quinn just rolled their eyes at each other. They were still fighting, to be sure, but in their disdain for Rachel Berry, they were united.

"And this is surprising because...?" Quinn raised an eyebrow.

"Berry's always been  _loco_ when it comes to sharing the spotlight. Girl Chang, you remember the fit she threw when she lost  _one_  solo to you, right? Not even a competition solo? Of course she's be crazy enough to try to kill off any major competition." Santana shrugged.

"But San, Rachel's got to have some awesome superpowers if she sent sunshine to a crackhouse! Isn't that a good thing? Maybe a bit of sunshine is all they needed to cheer them up!" Brittany wondered aloud. Kurt opened his mouth, then closed it upon receiving a warning glare from Santana.

"Er, right." Kurt cleared his throat, "Anyway, how did you fin out about this, Tina?"

Tina went on to explain some mysterious Asian connection that Quinn, to be honest, had no interest in learning about. She was much more interested in what Mercedes was saying to her fellow Cheerios.

"Rachel probably thinks her position is really shaky now. I mean, Finn just got booted from the football team, so maybe she feels like her place as the lead of Glee Club isn't as safe as she thought?" Mercedes shrugged, and Quinn zeroed in on her.

"Wait, Finn got kicked off the football team?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

Mercedes nodded, "Mhmm, heard it through the grapevine. Apparently he was making fun of the new coach, suggesting that Artie join the team, and she got mad and kicked him off. Some new kid's taken his spot."

"Looks like  _everyone_  is losing their rightful position." Santana grumbled, shooting a glare at Quinn. She paid no mind to the dark haired girl.

Finn wasn't quarterback anymore? She had to keep herself from smiling. Even better, he wasn't even on the  _team_  anymore! She knew it was mean and petty to feel so good about this, but Finn cared more about popularity than he'd ever been willing to admit, and he'd been content to paint her as a social-climbing harpy while they were dating, so Quinn couldn't help but think of this as some type of cosmic justice.

"So what you're saying is, we lost Matt, and because of Rachel, we've got no new recruits?" Santana asked carefully.

"Basically." Mercedes sighed.

Santana smirked and caught Quinn's gazed, who nodded at her.

Yes, when Santana and Quinn were fighting, tormenting Rachel Berry was maybe the only thing they could agree on.

* * *

"Quinn!" A voice called from across the hall. Quinn fought the urge to growl as she recognized the voice.

"What do you  _want_ , Finn?" She opened her locker, not facing him.

"Rachel got slushied earlier today, how come?" He paused, "I thought we were all friends?"

"How should I know why someone decided to slushie your dwarfish girlfriend, Finn?" She laughed, "Rachel Berry and I are  _not_  friends. I tolerate her-barely."

"Well... can you maybe.. call them off?" Finn's voice was almost shy, "It's just, I would but I'm off the team right now and-"

"I'd heard." Quinn fought off a smile. "That new kid, Sam, replaced you, didn't he?"

Finn grimaced, "Yeah. He was gonna join Glee, too, but Azimo and Karofsky got to him first and now he's scared it'll make him a loser."

Quinn shrugged, being in Glee did put people in a precarious position. Only a few of them were able to pull it off with their reputations intact. She shook her head, then sighed, "Anyway, Finn, I don't think I can help. Even if I wanted to help Rachel, which I don't, I can't be seen sticking up for her."

"Quinn! Come on! We're a team!" Finn pleaded.

Quinn levelled a glare at him, "Really? If we're such a  _team_ , why did Man-Hands, who gets  _all_  the solos anyway, send that Sunshine girl to a crackhouse to keep her from taking the spotlight?" She slammed her locker shut before looking at Finn again, "You can tell Rachel that in comparison, a few slushies is  _nothing_." Quinn turned on her heel and walked away, leaving Finn looking forlornly down the hallway.

She walked into her AP Biology class and looked to the projector that was set up in the front of the class, depicting a new seating arrangement. Apparently, their teacher didn't like the seats they'd chosen for themselves. Quinn rolled her eyes, seating charts were for kids in elementary school, not high school juniors and seniors.

She sighed and searched for her name, smiling as she found it next to Mike Chang. At least she's be working at a table with someone who knew what they were doing and wouldn't expect her to carry their dead weight.

"Hi, Mike." Quinn greeted as she sat down, flashing him a smile. Mike, despite being a great football player and pretty popular, was very quiet, usually choosing to stay in the corners at parties and never really causing much fuss in Glee Club.

"Quinn!" Mike smiled back, "How are you? I heard about Head Cheerio," he gestured to her red and white uniform, "Congrats."

"Thanks."

"Did you hear?" His voice dropped to a whisper, "Rachel and Kurt have already been slushied this year. Looks like open season on Glee clubbers." He paused, "I'm sure you'll be safe, though!"

Quinn raised an eyebrow. She'd known about Rachel of course, she'd known that Santana would want to cause a bit of grief for the brunette singer, but she hadn't heard about Kurt. She told Mike as much, adding, "The football and hockey guys seem to be getting bolder with their slushies. Poor Kurt."

Mike nodded, "Yeah, I can't feel as bad for Rachel after the whole Sunshine thing. Did you hear? She's gone over to Vocal Adrenaline!" Mike said this as if it were the worst thing in the world.

Quinn frowned sympathetically. Truthfully, she  _did_  like Glee Club, but winning to her wasn't as important as it was to some of the other members. It wasn't like she  _needed_  Glee to win in order to be a part of a Nationally-ranked team, anyway. If she didn't have the Cheerios, she'd probably be a lot more passionate about Glee.

"Well, Berry's always been selfish; this shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. Mr. Schue lets her get away with way too much." Quinn commented as their teacher entered the classroom. Mike nodded in agreement before they were forced to pay attention to the lesson.

* * *

"Britney Spears." Quinn smiled as Brittany finished her story, "You had a drug-induced dream about Brittany Spears?"

"Q, not  _about_  Britney Spears! I  _was_  Britney Spears! Or... Brittany S. Pierce performing Britney Spears. You know?" Brittany flipped her ponytail over her shoulder, "I was super hot."

"Of course you were, Brits." Santana's voice chimed in, glaring at Quinn as though daring her to disagree.

Quinn nodded, "Definitely, B."

"So will you guys come with me back to the sexy dentist's office? Please?" Brittany pleaded.

"I can't, I've got church. Sorry, B. Maybe Santana will?" Quinn could've gone, but she wasn't sure Santana was ready to forgive her yet, and she didn't want to make Brittany choose between them.

Santana, true to form when angry with Quinn, perked up when she heard the other blonde wouldn't be there, "Sure, Brittany, I'll check it out with you."

"Great!" Brittany clapped her hands together in excitement. Quinn and Santana smiled, but made sure not to do so at each other.

* * *

Quinn's mouth dropped open in surprise when Berry walked into the choir room. Did Rachel Berry actually look passably attractive? Was this a sign of the apocolypse? Quinn felt her carefully-crafted world falling to pieces. Even  _Santana_  complimented Berry... in her way.

Quinn had to do some investigating. Was this another ploy by Rachel to become popular? Quinn frowned, the slushie attacks had stopped a few days after the 'Sunshine' incident and Rachel was now fairly ignored in the school, since Finn was no longer the quarterback (though Quinn heard he was trying to finagle his way back onto the team).

Quinn continued her musing throughout Glee practice, and when that was finally over she saw her opening. Berry waved Finn down the hall and entered the restroom. Perfect. Quinn followed her in.

"Berry." Quinn fought back a smirk as the brunette jumped at the sound of her voice.

"Oh, hello Quinn. How can I help you?" Berry was chipper as ever.

"Just wanted to compliment you on your new look." Quinn smiled sweetly before moving over to the mirror next to the brunette. "What brought this change on?"

"Well," Berry laughed, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Just releasing my inner Britney Spears, I guess."

Quinn nodded, "Well you've definitely turned some heads. Think you'll keep the look up?"

Berry shrugged, "It  _is_  a lot of work and not quite comfortable, or really my style." She frowned, "I  _like_ wearing what I normally do."

Quinn fought off a grimace, not able to imagine  _anyone_  finding Rachel's normal sense of style appealing. Instead she shrugged, "Then what's keeping you from changing back?"

Berry flushed, "It's-just this stupid fight with Finn. He's mad at all the attention I'm getting and-"

"You want to make him jealous?" Quinn suggested.

"-Er, not exactly. I don't know. It's just unfair that he expects me to be all right with him rejoining the football team and becoming popular again-no offense, Quinn-and I'm supposed to just stand in the background and be his lame loser girlfriend and not feel a little insecure?"

Quinn gazed at the girl for a moment, feeling a brief flash of-was that pity? She'd thought of Rachel Berry as an enemy for so long, especially after the debacle at Sectionals last year, that she was surprised to find herself empathizing with the girl. She knew what it felt like to worry about losing Finn Hudson. Granted, it was Rachel that made her feel that way, but still.

Quinn shook her head, focusing back on what she'd heard, "Finn's back on the team?"

Berry nodded, "He's second string since the new quarterback, Sam Evans, technically was given the position and has been practicing with the team while Finn's been away. He's not thrilled but he's happy enough just being back on the team." She sighed, "I told him that I'd stop dressing this way if he left the team. I just wanted him to know what it felt like to be afraid of losing me."

Quinn struggled to keep an impassive countenance. On one hand, she'd gotten her answer. Rachel Berry wasn't trying to become popular or compete with her; she was just trying to get attention from her boyfriend, and a bit of understanding. Her work here was done.

On the other hand, she couldn't help but think of all the times when she'd found Finn gazing and Rachel from across the hall, of how embarrassed she'd been to think that for some reason, she couldn't keep her boyfriend interested in her. It  _hurt_ , and she found she couldn't take any pleasure in Rachel suddenly feeling how she had last year.

"I doubt Finn will give up on the football team." She told Rachel bluntly, "You're going to have to find another way to trust him, Berry. Speaking from experience, I know it's hard." She paused, "Good luck." As she turned away, she saw a look of deep concentration on Rachel's face.

She was halfway to the door when she heard her name being called, "Quinn? I have a favor to ask."

* * *

Quinn clenched her fists as she walked away. Humiliating. How could she have been so  _stupid_  to agree to this plan concocted by Rachel Berry, of all people?

What did it matter to  _her_  if Finn and Rachel were fighting? Why had she even tried to offer any advice? More importantly, why had she agreed to ask Finn out, to test his loyalties to his girlfriend?!

She wanted to say it was her trying to do something nice for once, and maybe part of it was. But a part of her that she didn't want to acknowledge knew that she had also been hoping, wondering, even a bit, if Finn would take her back. If she could really make it so that last year hadn't happened at all.

But of course he said  _no_. Quinn Fabray was once again rejected, passed over for Rachel frickin' Berry! She scowled and slammed her locker shut before beginning the trek to the choir room. She was furious that she'd have to face them  _both_  so soon after her humiliation.

Of course, Berry didn't see it that way. She only saw it as Quinn doing a favor for her. But  _Finn_ , now Finn would think that she had come on to him for real, and that he'd rejected her. How horrible was that?

It  _wasn't_  real, was what Quinn kept telling herself. She didn't need Finn, didn't need him or want him. He was familiar, that was all. He reminded her of an easier time, when she ruled the school unquestionably, before she'd been disgraced by her own stupid actions.

But Quinn was back, and she knew she didn't need Finn Hudson to get her there. She knew it, and yet she couldn't suppress the feeling of disappointment, the small lump in her throat as he kindly rejected her offer.

She felt like a part of her would never get over Finn choosing Rachel over her, and she hated that.

However, talking to Finn had reminded her of an important objective that she'd forgotten in the craziness of the beginning of the school year.

She needed to decide who she was going to pluck up to stand beside her at Prom, and she'd have to get to work soon. She'd need all the time she could get to convince the student body of whoever she'd choose.

First thing tomorrow, she'd start listing potential Prince Charmings.


	3. The Crown Prince

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quinn makes amends, sings a duet, and all the while tries to decide who she's going to pick to be her Prom King.

**The Rise of a King**

Summary: "Why should she have to have her boyfriend chosen for her by the losers and idiots at that pathetic excuse for a school? She made herself a Queen Bee, and Quinn Fabray decided that this time, she was going to crown her own King. Everyone else would just have to fall in line."

Pairing: Quinn Fabray/Mike Chang

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any of the characters associated with it! A few lines from this chapter are taken from Season Two, episode four "Duets"

**Chapter Two: The Crown Prince**

It was a little known fact that Quinn Fabray was actually intelligent. Well, Quinn didn't exactly  _hide_  this fact, with her honors and AP-laden schedule. Most people just tended to ignore it in favor of boxing Quinn into the stereotypical ditzy blonde cheerleader trope.

While Quinn was no big fan of the amount of work she had to put in to maintain the necessary GPA set down by her parents (her father was no longer in the picture, but Quinn still had trouble disobeying the rules and expectations that had been so deeply ingrained in her since she was a child), she  _was_  a fan of the perks it got her. Thanks to her difficult schedule, she was allowed to opt out of an elective period in favor of a study hall-a special allowance only afforded to those who were taking 4 or more AP classes (hers were European History, Statistics, Psychology, and English Composition).

It was a hard and fast rule Figgins wisely stuck to, since he didn't want to trust just  _any_ McKinley student with such freedom for one period of the day. And really, Quinn couldn't blame him. Look at what those Neanderthal puckheads got up to in the short time between classes; one could only imagine the damage they'd cause if they were given an entire class period left to their own devices.

In the junior year study hall, there were only 4 students. Quinn, Mike Chang, Suzy Pepper (ugh), and a quiet boy whose name Quinn couldn't for the life of her remember. The room they were in was nearly always silent, as a consequence, and when Quinn wasn't working on homework, it was the perfect place to catch up on her extracurricular reading.

Or, as was the case this morning, her extracurricular scheming.

As of now, she had a list of five possible candidates for her future suitor and eventual Prom King, all from her own year. She'd thought about the possible benefits of including guys from the senior class, but decided if she played her cards right, whoever she chose could run with her for both Junior  _and_  Senior Prom. People liked consistency, she knew, and it would look much better for her to run with the same partner, for the same (seemingly) perfect couple to win both years.

First on her list was her ex-boyfriend, Finn Hudson. She already knew from dating him exactly how to press his buttons in order to get him to do what she said; and they always looked fantastic walking down the halls together. He wasn't particularly bright, Quinn would never deny that, but his heart was usually in the right place. The only problems: Quinn  _had_  cheated on him last year, even someone as kind as Finn wasn't likely to forget that easily; and his girlfriend, Rachel Berry. Quinn was pretty sure she'd have to work very hard to get him away from Rachel, but as of now he was a last resort, should no one else measure up. If worse came to worse, she was sure she could think of something in order to get him back.

Second on his list was Noah Puckerman. Quinn wasn't sure if it was residual baby hormones that made her include him on her very short list, because though Puck's bad-boy good looks contrasted nicely with Quinn's classic beauty, running with him ran the risk of being a constant reminder to the student body of her shameful fall from grace the year previously. Not to mention Puck's issue with monogamy. She would never agree to sleep with him to keep him faithful to her, and she knew that if he couldn't do so while she was carrying his  _child_ , he'd hardly do so now. It wouldn't look good for her Prom campaign to have anything less than a perfectly faithful relationship.

Third on the list was Sam Evans, the new starting quarterback for the Titans. Quinn drummed her pen against the desk as she pondered what she knew of him. He was certainly handsome, much more all-American looking than either Puck or Finn; she didn't have any classes with him but that didn't necessarily mean he was dumb-just not as smart as her (something Quinn was much more comfortable with, if she were being honest). She really didn't know much about him, maybe she should get some of the younger Cheerios to do some recon work for her. She shrugged and put a question mark next to his name before moving on.

Fourth was Josh Coleman, junior year rugby captain. He was cute, well-liked and charming, if somewhat pushy. He didn't play football which was a definite mark against him, since it was well-known that in the sports hierarchy of the school, football was on top. Rugby wasn't too far behind in terms of popularity, though, so Quinn didn't think it would be too hard to make it work, if she needed to.

Fifth of her list was Scott Cooper, unanimously voted the best looking guy on the hockey team by the Cheerios. Quinn didn't know much else about Scott, but decided that before she considered him further she'd have to make sure he wasn't part of the group of puckheads that had slushied her and Finn last year.  _That_  was unforgivable.

Ideally, if Sam Evans measured up, she could pick him and avoid the potential emotional mess that either Finn or Puckerman would present her. And Quinn would  _really_  prefer to stick with a member of the football team. With this in mind, she created a final order for her potential suitors to be taken into consideration:

 _1\. Sam Evans (new qb, where from?)_  
2\. Josh Coleman(rugby? jerk?)  
3\. Noah Puckerman(NO sex or wine coolers!)  
4\. Scott Cooper (slushie?)  
5\. Finn Hudson (LAST resort!)

Quinn sighed as the bell rang. She stood and made her way towards the door, not paying attention to her surroundings. She made contact with a hard body before tumbling to the ground.

"Crap! Quinn! I'm so sorry." A hand appeared in front of her face and she grasped it, being hoisted to her feet in a fluid motion, the worried face of Mike Chang appearing above her.

"I'm really sorry, I should've been paying better attention." He apologized, looking genuinely concerned for her welfare. Quinn shot him a small smile.

"I'm fine Mike, my head was in the clouds." She bent over to get her things that had scattered across the floor.

"Oh! Here, let me." And Mike was picking up her books before she could protest. Her face flushed as he picked up the list she'd been working on. If he glanced at it, well, Quinn didn't want to imagine what  _anyone_  would think about her meticulous plans.

But Mike didn't spare a glance at her papers, shuffling them just enough that he could hand them back to her in a semi-nice pile with her books. "There we go."

Quinn gave him a real smile now, "Thanks Mike." She glanced down at the list that was on top of the pile.

"No problem, Q." He smiled back easily, before looking at the clock. "Damn, I've gotta run, I have French next period and it's across the building. See you in Glee!" And he was off.

Quinn gazed after him thoughtfully, before shrugging and continuing down the hallway in the opposite direction.

* * *

Quinn decided that the easiest way to pick from the list she'd made for herself was by a process of elimination. That is, she'd actively try to eliminate the names from her list and whoever she was left with was who she would pick.

She began with one of the names she knew the least about, Scott Cooper. What she needed to know, first, was if he'd  _dared_  to throw a slushie at her last year.

Which meant she'd have to ask someone who was there.

"Karofsky!" Quinn snapped as she approached his locker.

The boy's eyes widened as he made eye contact with her, but he answered politely enough, "Something you needed, Fabray?"

"Yes, actually." She leaned against the row of lockers, "Last year, when you teamed up with those losers on the hockey team and made the  _tragic_  mistake of slushying  _me_ , who exactly was with you?"

Karofsky's eyes narrowed in suspicion, "Why?"

Quinn folded her arms across her chest, "Because I want to know, that's why." She cocked her head to the side.

Karofsky sighed, "Look, that was more about Hudson, all right? We never meant to catch you in the cross fire. We  _know_  Cheerios are off-limits."

"I don't care." Quinn growled out, "Look, Karofsky, I'm not after you. I just want to know to satisfy my curiousity and to know who's already on my bad side."

"But if I tell you, I won't be on your bad side?" He asked skeptically.

Quinn rolled her eyes. "No more so than usual, David." She said sweetly, before reiterating, "Honestly. Just tell me."

Karofsky finally nodded, "All right. It was me and a few of the hockey players, like you said. Zack Smith, Trevor Knight, Matt Simmons, and Scott Cooper."

Quinn heard all she needed to. She spared Karofsky a small smile, "Thanks for the info, Karofsky." She turned to leave before turning back, "Oh, and there's a freshman Cheerio who mentioned she'd be interested in you taking her out to dinner. I'll text you the details."

Karofsky grinned and nodded as Quinn made her way to her next class. When she got there, she made sure the first thing she did was cross Scott Cooper's name off of her list.

One down, five to go.

* * *

Josh Coleman was easily eliminated from consideration before Cheerios practice, when Quinn heard one of the girls complaining about his post-date etiquette.

"It was completely ridiculous and rude! We were in his tiny car after the movie and all of a sudden he's trying to force my hand down his pants and slobbering all over me like a puppy!" The sophomore cheerleader complained, "So  _not_  hot!"

Quinn grimaced, he was  _definitely_  a no-go. Not only would Quinn rather listen to Berry sing the entire  _Wicked_  soundtrack than fight off the constant hormonal advances of a perv like Josh apparently was, but if he was so pathetic that he couldn't even keep the interest of a  _sophomore_ then no one would believe that he'd hold  _her_ interest.

Quinn sighed and cross his name out before she left the locker room. There were only four more names on her list, but her remaining investigations would have to wait until tomorrow, because after practice, she had something else to worry about.

* * *

"Listen C-Section, give me one good reason why I shouldn't jump across this table right now and claw your beady little eyes out?" A pair of brown eyes glared at Quinn from across the table.

"San!" Brittany whined from her spot in the middle of the rounded booth. She was, quite literally, stuck in the middle of the two girls.

"One, I had a natural birth, thank you for asking." Quinn kept a smile firmly in place, "Two, you'd cause a scene. Three, we've been friends for years and your parents would be  _so_ disappointed in you. Last, and most importantly, because I'm paying for your Breadstix."

Santana grumbled and leaned back, "You've got me there. Continue."

Quinn refrained from rolling her eyes. It's not as though Santana couldn't afford to pay for her own meal, but Quinn knew Santana loved getting something for nothing.

"Look, San. I'm not going to apologize for taking Head Cheerio. You and I both know I'd be lying if I said I regretted it because I don't. I wanted this, I earned this. You're my friend and I'm not going to insult you by lying to you about that."

Santana pursed her lips but nodded.

Quinn continued, "But I  _am_  sorry it had to come at your expense. You and B are my best friends and I hate that what I wanted had to come at the cost of taking something away from you."

"But you don't hate it enough that you wouldn't do it all over again." Santana pointed out.

Quinn shrugged, "You'd do the same to me." They both knew it was true.

"I talked to Coach Sylvester, and she agrees you're way too talented to be on the bottom of the pyramid any longer." Quinn offered. Brittany clapped her hands in excitement, but Santana's face remained impassive.

Time to lay all her cards on the table. "I also told her that you'd make a great co-captain."

"Co-captain?" Santana cocked her head to the side, "The Cheerios only have a captain."

Quinn nodded, "That was true until after practice today, when Coach and I decided to make you the very first co-captain. You and I will work together to lead the team. Technically I make the final calls but ideally we decide upon things together." Quinn paused, letting the idea sink in, "What do you think?"

Santana considered for a moment, "Does this mean that when Theresa steals my shampoo to use on her greasy hair I can make her do extra laps?"

Quinn nodded, "I don't see why not."

Santana smirked, "Then I accept your offer, Q."

Brittany cheered, "Guys! I'm so happy! Does this mean the Unholy Trinity is back?"

The three girls smiled at each other. "Looks like it, Britts." Santana's eyes gleamed.

It was Quinn's turn to smirk, "So, let me tell you what I've got planned..."

* * *

The next day in Glee, Quinn got quite a few pieces of upsetting news.

First was the issue with Puckerman. Though Quinn suspected it was hardly ethical for Schue to tell a group of students the details of Puck's incarceration, she was glad he had. She made a note in the back of her head that Puck was definitely to be crossed off the list in her Cheerios duffel bag at the first opportunity. A bad-boy image was one thing, but having a police record was quite another.

Quinn had been speaking quietly to Mercedes when Santana yanked her ponytail.

"Ouch! Yes, Santana?" Quinn snapped. Her friend smirked and nodded towards the doorway. Quinn followed her gaze and her eyes widened as she spied Sam Evan walking into the room on Finn's heels. She clenched her fists, was Sam Evans, her current top choice for boyfriend and Prom King, seriously going to ruin  _everything_  by joining Glee Club?

Evidently, yes, as Mr. Schue soon told the room. Sam Evans had just become the newest member of the New Directions.

"He has  _no_  game." Santana summed it up nicely after Sam's introduction.

Quinn pinched the bridge of her nose and forced a smile on her face. It wasn't all hopeless. Glee Club had 3 other football players (two if you excluded Puckerman, now) and they were able to balance being int he club with maintaining the popularity. The only thing she was worried about was Sam being so new to the school; he hadn't had time to cement his status before breaking the unspoken rules of WMHS.

"It might not be all bad," Santana murmured in her ear as Schue talked about the duet competition, "Just snag him as a partner in this stupid contest and figure out what his deal is."

Quinn nodded. This actually presented a great opportunity for Quinn to get to know Sam without having to ask one of the Cheerios to do it and risk them gossiping about it.

Unfortunately, Quinn was a few moments too late; Sam had already been 'snagged', as it were, by Kurt.

Quinn angrily yanked out her list as Glee Club ended, crossing off Puck's name and putting a large question mark next to Sam's. It was time for some girl talk.

* * *

"I've heard he's a huge nerd." Santana remarked as she stretched out over the couch on the opposite side of Quinn's bedroom. It was just the two of them; though Quinn loved Brittany dearly, she and Santana agreed that Brittany was sometimes too sweet to discuss things like this objectively.

"Nerd like what? Video games? All boys do that." Quinn replied.

"No, I've heard he's one of those comic book nerds, you know, dresses up to go to freaky conventions and shit." Santana frowned, "Let's face facts, Q. Evans was a top pick for you until Frankenteen convinced him to join the Glee Club."

"Finn  _is_  always ruining my plans." Quinn muttered under her breath.

"And maybe him being in Glee could've been acceptable, if he'd stuck me you or me or even Hudson, but now he's partnered with Lady Hummel for our duets competition, which you  _know_  everyone will find out about. For as much as everyone hates the Glee Club they follow us like we're celebrities." Santana sighed, "I predict a frosty visit from the football team before the end of the day Wednesday."

Quinn smiled, "Is that because you'll be the one ordering it?"

Santana's eyes gleamed wickedly, "I didn't say that, but maybe a slushy facial is just the encouragement he needs to dump Hummel as a singing partner."

"Or better, dump Glee all together." Quinn nodded. She liked Glee, truly, and she wouldn't quit now, but she needed Sam to have no associations with anything that could sully his reputation.

"Anyway, let's say Evans' is a no-go, do you have any back-up plans?" Santana walked over to Quinn's vanity and began rummaging through her nail polish collection.

"Unfortunately the only name left on my list is Finn's."

"Eurgh, no way. Q, you made that mistake last year and I won't let you make it again. You were lucky enough to escape last time but I'm pretty sure that if you date him again, you'll get sucked into his rolls of fat and we'll never see you again." Santana finished firmly.

Quinn laughed, "I see your point, San. Finn isn't ideal but-" Her phone had a loud beeping noise, cutting her off. She grabbed it quickly, "Sorry, that was Mike, we're supposed to be meeting up to work on a bio project this weekend-"

"Mike Chang?" Santana questioned.

"Yeah, Mike Chang. I wonder if he knows anything about Sa-" Quinn stopped. "San."

"What?"

"Mike Chang."

"What about him?"

"Mike Chang! Mike's a football player, in Glee Club, he's smart and attractive and somehow popular enough to avoid getting harassed by the rest of the football guys."

Santana cocked her head to the side and thought for a moment, "Chang  _is_  a looker, and I've never heard any bad gossip in the Cheerios locker room about him. He might be just as prudish as you are." Santana winked as Quinn threw a pillow at her. "Not to mention those abs!"

Quinn nodded, Mike's abs were universally acknowledged and appreciated in the girls locker room.

"There is one problem, though." Santana interrupted Quinn's thoughts.

"What?"

"He's dating girl-Chang."

Quinn scrunched her nose in either surprise or disdain, she was sure which. "Really? Since when?"

"Late summer, I think. I'll ask Brits, I'm going to her place later tonight. Look, let's focus on Evans for now. If that falls through, I'm sure we can think of a way to pry Mike away from Tina Boring-Chang and into your arms, right?"

Quinn hmm'ed under her breath and nodded, "You're right." She added Mike's name to her list. "So Finn's out, Mike's in."

"Thank God."

* * *

 _Santana was right, he is pretty dorky_ , Quinn thought to herself as she made sure to get as much of the slushy out of Sam's hair as she could.

Quinn wasn't sure if it was luck or pre-meditation on Santana's part that ensured she would be nearby when Sam got hit with a slushy, but Quinn wasn't one to pass up an opportunity to make a good impression.

Quinn wasn't sure how to continue the conversation after Sam's declaration of love for Avatar (she'd barely made it through the movie once, anyway), but he continued it for her.

"You're the head cheerleader, why bother? I mean, you don't really need Glee Club."

Quinn fought the urge to roll her eyes. If Sam thought she was in Glee Club for popularity-related reasons, he was even more oblivious to how things worked around here than she'd thought. She decided to answer honestly, "I like to sing... and those guys were pretty cool to me last year, when I wasn't on top. What's the point in being popular if you can't do whatever you want?"

At this point, Sam stood up and ran the towel she offered him over his head in an attempt to dry off. He gazed at her a moment before saying softly, " _Lor Menari_."

Quinn stared at him blankly, not even pretending to understand what he was saying.

"It means you have pretty eyes." Sam offered.

She smiled slightly, still confused.

"It's Na'vi..." Sam looked for some type of recognition in Quinn's eyes, an finding none, continued, "The Avatar Language? Lor Menari."

 _Good Lord_.

* * *

"He did  _not_!" Santana howled with laughter after practice. Quinn glanced around the locker room, thankful that the three girls were the only ones still there.

"He did."

"I told you, Q! I told you he was a fucking geek!" Santana wiped awa a few faux-tears from her eyes, "What a sap."

Quinn rolled her eyes but giggled, "I had no idea how to respond! How does someone take the time to learn the language from that movie?"

Brittany piped in, "But he did say you have pretty eyes, Quinnie."

"Yeah, and the only way it would've been lamer is if he'd dressed up as a freaking elf or something and written you an English sonnet." Santana quipped. Brittany frowned and turned away. "Anyway, let's talk about my banging duet today with Aretha. Were we good, or what?"

Quinn glanced over at Brittany as she quietly closed her locker and left the room, and answered, "Yeah, San, it was great."

"So, Baby Mama," Santana said affectionately, "Who're you gonna partner with?"

"Well, actually... Sam asked me right before practice."

At the mention of his name, Santana snorted in laughter, "Well, congrats Q, hopefully he doesn't try to make you sing the Spiderman theme song."

Quinn rolled her eyes, "I don't think there  _is_  a Spiderman theme song, Santana."

"Whatever."

* * *

He kissed her.

Sam Evans had  _kissed_  her.

Had she liked it? Undoubtedly. As goofy as Sam was, it was hard not to like him. He was like a puppy, and that was the problem.

Quinn didn't want a puppy, she wanted a Prince.

So she'd backed away, from him  _and_  their duet. Berry had cornered her in the bathroom later to try and convince her to change her mind, for who knows  _what_  reason, but Quinn didn't know what to do.

Sam was earnest and kind and clearly  _wanted_  to be popular. He'd be easy to mold in that way, but Quinn was worried about his natural tendency to speak before thinking. At this point, he was too noticeable, already gaining notoriety for his weird Sean Connery impressions and knowledge of Na'vi. And while for some girls this was endearing, Quinn needed someone who could at least command some type of respect. She needed  _cool_ , she explained to her best friends that day at lunch.

Brittany snatched the list out of Quinn's hands. "Mike Chang is totally cool."

"B's right, Chang is definitely cooler than Sam-I-Am-Green-Eggs-and-Ham could ever be." Santana agreed. Quinn noticed that Brittany kept her eyes on the table instead of looking at their brunette companion.

"But he's dating Tina. And I've still got to do this stupid duet with Sam." Quinn pointed out.

Santana shrugged, "I did my duet with Mercedes, doesn't mean I'm gonna date her." Brittany visibly flinched but Santana pretended not to notice and continued, "Just sing the song and get it over with. Leave girl Chang to me."

Quinn was beyond surprised when she and Sam ended up winning the duet competition. That is, until she saw the smug look on Rachel Berry's face. Quinn narrowed her eyes but had little time to dwell on it when Sam approached her.

"We won!" He looked excited. Quinn smiled.

"We did, great job!"

"Great job to  _both_  of us, we make a pretty good team." He waved the Breadstix vouchers around, "And now we get to enjoy the fruits of our labors."

They quickly made plans for the weekend, and as Quinn left the choir room she pulled out her phone and began composing a text.

* * *

Dinner was great. Horrible impressions aside, Sam was lovely company and conversation with him wasn't as difficult or boring as Quinn had imagined it would be.

But she still had to keep her eyes on the prize, and that didn't include indulging Sam's hopes and fantasies about her and him any longer.

"This has been fun." Sam grinned.

"It has." Quinn smiled at him, "You don't have to drive me home. I'm actually going to Santana's. Girl's night, you know. She's gonna pick me up."

"Oh." Sam deflated, but the smile didn't come off his face, "Cool. Well, my parents wanted me home soon, so..."

"I can take care of the check." She gestured to the vouches and cracked a grin. Sam smiled back.

"Of course. See you around, Quinn." Sam stood up and squeezed her hand briefly before leaving the restaurant. He'd barely been gone for two minutes before Quinn heard the door open and the seat across from her soon became occupied.

"You think I can sit in on the same check?" Santana motioned for a waitress to clear away Sam's plate and placed her order.

"Probably, it's not like Breadstix has strict upper management." Quinn smirked.

"So does this make me your second date of the day?" Santana teased, grabbing a breadstick and taking a bite.

"It wasn't a date, San. Nothing will come of it. Sam's officially off the list."

"And Mike Chang is officially  _on_  the market." Santana said proudly.

"You did it, then?" Quinn asked carefully.

Santana nodded, "It went better than expected. Tina Cohen-Chang is the newest Cheerio, and Mike Chang is yours for the taking."

"How'd you convince Coach to let her on the team?" Quinn took a sip of her soda

"Like I said, it was easier than I thought. Turns out girl Chang has a lot of dance experience. She won't be totally horrible, and Coach loves taking things away from Schue so it was a win-win for her."

"And for me. Thanks, San." Quinn paused, "Why are you so keen to help me?"

Santana laughed, "You're so paranoid, Q. Why wouldn't I help you with your boy troubles? With the exception of Puckerman, it's not like you and I have similar tastes. Besides, you  _are_  my best friend, and it wold be totally embarrassing if I had to be seen third-wheeling with you and Finnocence for  _another_  year, and you and Sam would've been like a weird version of Ken and Barbie. Mike Chang might actually be good for you."

"San, didn't know you cared!" Quinn exclaimed jokingly.

"You know I've got your back. Do you think they'll give us an order of stix to go? I'm gonna be hungry later."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Some lines of dialogue taken from Season Two episode "Duets" of Glee.
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, let me know what you think!


	4. The First Steps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quinn makes the first moves towards wooing Mike, with mixed results.

Chapter Three: The First Steps

Luckily for Quinn's plans, she had plans to meet with Mike only the day after she had gone out to dinner with Sam. Though Santana, in typical Santana fashion, suggested something outlandish and very vulgar to get Mike's attention, Quinn decided to play her game slowly, and that meant simple flirting and letting Mike know that she was very available.

The opportunity came sooner than she expected. She'd no sooner let Mike into her house and gotten him a glass of water than he'd asked, "So, how was your date with Sam?"

Quinn fought off a grimace, "It wasn't a date, just dinner between friends, but it was good. Sam's a nice guy."

"Ouch." Mike grinned at her and sat down on te ouch in her living room, unzipping his backpack.

"What?" Quinn asked, sitting next to him.

"He's a 'nice guy', if that's all you have to say about a guy, it's like a death sentence. Trust me, locker room talk." Mike winked at her as he spoke.

Quinn laughed, "That's horrible! Nice is a compliment! It's just.... not all there is. I'm not interested in Sam like that." She finished lamely.

Mike chuckled, "He seems quite smitten with you."

Quinn rolled her eyes, "Don't make fun, Mike. Sam doesn't even know me, he's smitten with the idea of me."

"I think everyone has been smitten with the idea of Quinn Fabray at one point or another." Mike offered, "Maybe he'll get over it soon."

Quinn smirked, "Are you saying that you've been smitten with the idea of Quinn Fabray, Mike?" She raised an eyebrow, expecting him to flush and look away. 

Instead he met her gaze straight on and said playfully, "Am I a warm-blooded straight male, Q?" He laughed at the expression on her face, then continued, "What sort of project do you think we should do for Bio?"

Quinn tried not to blush and answered, "As long as it doesn't involve insects, I'm fine."

Mike laughed, "The fearsome Quinn Fabray is afraid of bugs?"

Quinn grimaced, "I had a bad experience with a centipede when I was younger. Don't ask."

Mike held his hands up, "I can respect a healthy fear for bugs, don't worry. How about something less creepy and crawly, like plants?"

Quinn smiled and tapped her pen against her thigh, "I'm listening."

"A project about CO2 emissions and their effects on an environment?" Mike suggested.

"Investigating the effects of global warming on a smaller scale?" Quinn clarified.

"Something like that." Mike replied, writing something down in his notebook, "It would be a bit of work to get the plants healthy and thriving at first but I think since this is a year-long project we have the time."

Quinn nodded, "We could catalogue the effects on a weekly basis, and then compare them to the effects being seen now on a global scale? Then from there maybe predict future climate changes due to the emissions."

Mike smiled, "I'm so glad I'm working with someone who can think on their own."

Quinn tried to not to be too pleased with Mike's comment. The truth was, it was nice to be acknowledged for something other than her looks (not that being acknowledged for her looks was all that bad, obviously).

"Thanks." She smiled back at him, then added teasingly, "Does this mean my secret fear of bugs is safe from ridicule?"

Mike considered for a moment, "Safe for now, definitely."

"Good." Quinn decided to chang ethe subject, "How has the new school year been treating you, Mike? We don't really get to talk much in Glee, between Berry's monologues pertaining to her talent and her impromptu duets with Finn."

Mike laughed, "It's an almost daily occurence, isn't it? Things have been good for me; I joined the decathalon team with Brittany, Artie, and ... Tina." Mike frowned slightly, and at Quinn's questioning look, explained, "We broke up."

"Oh wow Mike, I'm really sorry." Quinn said in faux-surprise. "Er, are you guys still friends?"

Mike shrugged, "We weren't really closer friends to begin with... and it was kind of out of nowhere. She just joined the Cheerios and then bam! -- things are over."

Quinn shrugged, replying sympathetically, "Some girls let the uniform go to their head. Tina would have to be crazy to let a catch like you go." Nevermind that letting Mike go was a condition for Tina getting the uniform in the first place.

"Quinn Fabray thinks I'm a catch?" Mike teased, looking pleased.

"Mike, your lack of arrogance sets you apart from a lot of the jocks at McKineley but I have class with you, remember? I know you aren't stupid." Quinn deflected the question, "How did you and Tina end up together anyway? I didn't notice you guys talking last year...?"

Mike rubbed the back of his neck, clearly a bit uncomfortable talking about it. "We uh, were both counselors at an art camp, and hit it off. I thought we hit it off, anyway." He shrugged. Quinn nodded, before changing the subject.

"Anyway, I was thinking we could start with some plants that recreate a sort of rain forest environment?"

Quinn smiled, Santana may not agree with her methods, but her favorite story as a small child had always been the Tortoise an the Hare. Slow and steady wins the race.

\----------------------------------------------------------

"So he admitted to thinking about getting freaky with you, Fabray, big deal." Santana didn't bother looking up from the skirts she was examining. She, Brittany, and Santana had decided to go shopping, and since she'd had her study 'date' with Mike the night before, Quinn was obligated to fill her friends in. "Did anything juicy happen?"

Quinn rolled her eyes and leaned against a table in the store, "Juicy? No. But I didn't want anything juicy, not yet."

Santana smirked, "Q, seriously. Not to be rude but you got knocked up last year. There's really no reason to play the virgin Mary anymore."

Quinn felt her fists clench at her sides but managed a derisive laugh, "San, I'm not holding out to make myself look good, alright? Mike isn't the type to be wooed by your methods."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means he's not like Puckerman; he's looking for more than a quickie in the janitor's closet." Quinn smirked at her brunette friend.

"I'll have you know any guy would want a quickie with m--" Santana began to retort but was cut off by Brittany.

"Guys! Come on! No fighting!" Quinn and Santana glanced at each other and mumbled apologies. Brittany nodded, satisfied, before jumping into the conversation they'd been having previously, "You aren't going to hurt Mikey, are you, Q?"

Quinn shrugged, "Britt, it's not like we're going to get married." She sighed as Brittany began to frown, "I promise I'll do my best not to hurt him."

"Good." Brittany grinned, "Do you wanna know what he told me once?"

Quinn fought against rolling her eyes, "What, B?"

"He said he thinks you're really beautiful. Like the most beautiful girl in the school." Brittany beamed at her friend, "So there." As if that settled everything.

Santana did roll her eyes, "Looks like Chang is into that all-American, goody-goody look."

Quinn tried not to smile too much. Being called beautiful was nothing new for her, so it really shouldn't matter, but Mike didn't seem like the type to hand out compliments to just anyone.

Maybe it was time to move up the timetable on her plan.

\--------------------------------------------

"Mike, glad you could make it." Quinn smiled up at him as he slid into the seat across from her. The Lima Bean certainly wasn't he most romantic location, but it was public, and frequented by a lot fo their classmates. By the end of the day word would be out that Quinn Fabray and Mike Chang had been seen together at the coffee shop, and the rumor mill would be working furiously to determine if it were a date, a homework project, or simply two friends getting a drink together.

"No problem, Q." Mike smiled easily at her. "Did you want anything...?" He trailed off, gesturing up to the counter, "I didn't order yet in case you wanted me to grab you something."

"Just an iced coffee, please." Quinn nodded in thanks as Mike stood to place their order. She wasn't sure how receptive Mike would be to her invitation, and was pleasantly surprised when he accepted. Maybe getting him interested in her wouldn't be as much work as she thought.

Mike soon cmae back with both of their drinks and sat down again. Then, to Quinn's confusion, he pulled his backpack onto the table before glancing up at her, "So, what are we working on?"

"Uhm," Quinn blinked and tried to find her train of thought. She quickly composed herself, "Working on?"

Now it was Mike's turn to look confused, "Yeah... I thought you wanted my help with homework?"

Quinn's eyes widened slightly an she fought to keep herself from blushing. This was mortifying. She'd thought she'd been asking Mike on a casual, quasi-date, a clear indicator that she was interested in him without having to say so. And he thought she was asking him to tutor her?

"Mike," Quinn began, closing her eyes and breathing deeply for a moment before continuing, "I didn't... I didn't ask you here as a study session. That's not what I meant."

Mike looked distinctly uncomfortable, "Oh God, I'm sorry, Q, I just assumed... most people want tutoring and so I just thought..."

"Oh... well. No." Quinn kept her eyes on her coffee for a moment. She wasn't used to this, making the first move. Finn had asked her out; Puck had hit on her. And here was an opportunity for Mike to ask her out, laid out before him, and he didn't even think to. Was he just not interested? Quinn swallowed a lump in her throat. It had been so long since she'd had to take 'no' for an answer, and the idea of Mike--of anyone--not being interested in her in the slightest just took her back to her days in middle school. 

She blinked and stood abruptly, "I am, I'm so sorry for the misunderstanding. Uhm, I just remembered, I told my Mom I'd be home soon. I have to go." Her mom wasn't even home. But the more she dwelled on her past, the more she knew she needed to get to the sanctity of her room. She wasn't going to react to this; not here.

"Quinn? I--are you sure?" Mike stood, looking concerned.

"Yeah, I'm really sorry, Mike. I'm sorry to have wasted your time." She tried not to sound bitter, "Uh, I'll talk to you later. Or something." Quinn could barely remember the last time she'd ran from a situation, but here she was. Running.

She'd made it out the door and was fumbling with her car keys before she realized she was probably--no, definitely--overreacting. But the damage had been done and she couldn't very well go back in and continue the conversation now, could she? She groaned to herself and sped out of the parking lot.

If only she hadn't frozen up. If she hadn't automatically thought of the days when she'd been a nobody, when she'd been Lucy, then she could've kept her cool. Quinn Fabray should've laughed off the misunderstanding, twirled her hair and batted her eyes while flirting to make her intentions clear. She shouldn't have run away like a pathetic puppy dog with her proverbial tail between her legs.

Mike must think she's a total basketcase. Quinn wasn't sure if she'd be able to repair the damage she'd done to his image of her, ever. More than likely, she'd have to start back at square one, searching for a new person of interest to occupy her time and effort.

Great, just great.

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It was after dinner and Quinn was in her room, working on homework but mostly dwelling on what a fool she'd made of herself earlier that day at the Lima Bean. She groaned and flung herself back on her bed, wishing it would swallow her whole.

Seriously, why had she spazzed out so much at the thought of Mike Chang not liking her? Sure, it would set her plans back but in the grand scheme of things, one guy not being interested in her shouldn't be a huge deal. It was bound to happen, Quinn wasn't stupid; though she was the most popular girl in school, she knew there were guys that weren't totally into her. So why did she act like a desperate Rachel Berry drama queen?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft knocking on her door. Quinn sat up and ran a hand through her hair. "Come in." She called, watching curiously as her mother poked her head in the doorway.

"Quinnie." She started hesitantly, before holding up a familiar, pale green envelope. "This came in the mail for you today, do you...?"

Quinn stared at the envelope, a frown growing across her face, "No, uhm, no. Its all right. I--just get rid of them."

Her mother looked nervous but stepped further into the room. "Darling, are you sure--"

"Yes, mother." Quinn crossed her arms and shrank back against her headboard, "Just--I don't know, give them to Mrs. Puckerman the next time you see her at the grocery store or something."

Her mother sighed and nodded, "If that's what you want, Quinnie."

"It is." The blonde replied tersely. Her mom offered no other fight, wishing her daughter a goodnight before closing the door behind her.

Quinn sat perfectly still for a moment before burying her face in her pillow and exhaling deeply. Between that and her situation with Mike earlier, there was no way Quinn was getting any homework done tonight.

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Quinn waited a few hours, until she was sure her mother would be asleep before opening her bedroom door quietly and creeping downstairs. She tiptoed through her home, entering the kitchen and turning on the light over the stove before glancing at the island in the center of the room. That was where she'd found it last time, and true to her mother's predictable nature, the pale green envelope sat on the counter, contrasting starkly against the dark marble countertops.

The first envelope had arrived about three months ago. Quinn hadn't known was it was then, and since it was addressed to her, she'd opened it when she'd gotten home from school.

She didn't leave her room for the rest of the night, and wouldn't talk about it to her mom in the days following, no matter how much Judy hinted that she wanted to discuss the torn envelope and its contents that she'd found on the living room floor.

Quinn grabbed this envelope with shaking fingers and opened it before pulling out the first photo.  She leaned against the counter and let out a breath she didn't know she was holding as she gazed at the small, chubby face with blonde hair and hazel eyes so like her own staring back at her.

"Beth." She said the name, mulling over how it rolled off of her tongue. Her daughter. Beth.

She pulled the rest of the photos out of the envelope, about twenty in total, and looked through them, taking her time to memorize each before going on to the next.

She was beautiful. Quinn blinked back tears suddenly. She was more than beautiful, she was perfect. There was no other word to describe her. She smiled as she came to a picture where Beth had made a mess while eating. Even with a food-smeared face, her daughter was the most flawless thin she'd ever laid eyes on.

Except, Quinn reminded herself, she wasn't her daughter anymore. She was Shelby's.

Quinn felt the ache in her chest grow as she placed the pictures back in the envelope the way she'd found them. She would never be a part of Beth's life, and while... it was nice of Shelby to try, sending reminders of that did nothing but make Quinn question things that she couldn't question. 

She'd made the right choice. She knew it, and she needed to live with it. And that meant no dwelling on pictures of beautiful baby girls that she'd never get to know.

Still, Quinn couldn't help but slip a picture of Beth (dressed up in a pretty green dress that brought out her eyes into the pocket of her pajamas).

Puck wouldn't miss one picture, after all.

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The next morning Quinn was beyond tired, but hid it by drinking three cups of coffee before she left for school tightening her ponytail before locking the door behind her.

It was like Coach always said: a tired Cheerio might as well be a dead Cheerio.

Her fellow Cheerios could tell almost instantaneously that today was a day when Quinn shouldn't be bothered. The squad had learned over the past year to tell by the way she greeted them in the hallways what kind of mood she was in, and todays mood definitely read "uninterested in talking to anyone unless absolutely necessary".

Which is why she was so surprised to feel a finger tapping on her shoulder as she pulled her morning books out of her locker. She spun around, eyes narrowed, only to come face to face (or face to shoulders, really) with Mike Chang.

"Quinn, hi." Mike smiled at her, leaning against the lockers next to hers.

Quinn swallowed whatever retort she'd had prepared and forced a smile on her face. It wasn't totally Mike's fault that she was in a horrible mood. "Hey, Mike." 

"Look, I just wanted to apologize again for misunderstanding things yesterday. I get the feeling I really upset you and I didn't mean to at all." Mike ran a hand through his hair nervously, "I was wondering if you'd let me make it up to you."

Quinn felt some of the tension un the pit of her stomach uncoil. "Make it up to me?" She smirked, leaning against her locker and eyeing him speculatively, "It's quite all right, Mike, you don't need to make it up to me, but... how were you planning to?"

Mike grinned, apparently less nervous now that it became clear that Quinn wasn't going to be angry with him, "Let me take you out to dinner?"

Quinn couldn't help the smile that made its way across her face. She glanced at the clock, noting that they were very nearly late for class. "Sounds fun. It's a date, then?"

Mike nodded "It is." He gestured to her books, "We're going the same way, right? I'll carry those for you." Quinn could only nod, pleased, as he took her books out of her hand.

It was only a date, but for now, that was definitely enough.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed! Please let me know what you think!


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